A student recently spoke about her observations and I wanted to share her words:
“I knew there was something in my voice that was holding me back and Lynn was the first person to say, “Yes, it is.” At the time, I was working on my first solo show called Queens Girl, which was all about where I come from and developing into an independent artist. Lynn and I worked on certain sections of the piece in which I wasn’t pronouncing certain words correctly or holding onto the language and power of what I was doing. Lynn really insisted that I do that. There were some sessions where working on sounds was the focus and it would be very emotional because I thought, ‘Wow! It’s just a word that I’m pronouncing differently,’ but in reality it was an identity that I was holding onto. I have now gained the personality of that person that I truly am and now people take me for what I say and my work.”
“Also, working on your voice gives you the courage and necessary skills to approach larger projects. There was a film I was cast for, When Harry Tries To Marry and I would have never had the qualifications had I not worked on my voice because the quality of my voice would have held me back, so working on it enabled me to enter into that world in a different way. Now, I’m working on another project, another solo show, about a famous actress from the 1930s. With these skills I’ll be able to hold the power of her voice and personality and actually feel that I can do it because I’ve inhabited the power.
“When I decided that I liked the college I was going to and that I wanted to fit in, my accent changed.
“What excites me about working with Lynn is, the possibilities. I feel I’m more of a blank slate now and when I become a character I can get very specific, down to the rhythm, the emphasis of the words and why they emphasize a certain word and what the history of that emphasis is and where they get that certain accent from.”
Tell me about the last powerful experience you had in acting and/or voice class.